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We give you the inside line on those joining the grid in the F1 season beginning this weekend

We give you the inside line on those joining the grid in the F1 season beginning this weekend.

F1 2012 was one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory, with seven different winners in the first seven races alone. That pattern is set to continue this year, with all 22 drivers hell-bent on making a mark at the world championship. We scrutinize each team’s chances as they prepare for technical warfare starting this month through to November.

Infiniti Red Bull Racing 2012 performance: Although Red Bull retained its constructors’ championship to make it three in a row, the start of the season was an uphill battle. Mark Webber looked solid after wins in Monaco and Britain but Sebastian Vettel took the title to the wire, with four wins in the last seven races.

2013 prospects: With technical regulations remaining relatively stable, it’s expected that Red Bull’s RB9 will be the team to beat. Vettel will once again be the favourite, but he might have to work for it – his teammate Webber is really quick on a good day day, and a fighter to the death.

Scudeira Ferrari 2012 performance: Ferrari began the year woefully off the pace. However, the Scuderia kept developing the F1 2012. Alonso won in Malaysia, Valencia and Germany – and scored points at all races, bar Belgium and China, only to lose the drivers’ championship on the last day of the season in Brazil.

2013 prospects: There’s no doubt that Ferrari must start the year strong, with a view to win both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship – the new car will also need to be quick to compete with Red Bull and McLaren. Alonso desperately wants a third title, but he will need teammate Felipe Massa to be in form.

Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team 2012 performance: It looked so promising for Mercedes in 2012. Nico Rosberg scored a classy lights-to-flag victory in China. The team never got that close again, though. The best either driver could do after that was a single podium each – Monaco for Rosberg, Valencia for Schumacher.

2013 prospects: There’s no doubt that Ferrari must start the year strong, with a view to win both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship – the new car will also need to be quick to compete with Red Bull and McLaren. Alonso desperately wants a third title, but he will need teammate Felipe Massa to be in form.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2012 performance: McLaren dominated at Albert Park, but it took until Canada for another win, owing to tyre issues and botched pit stops. The team then went on to win five of the last 10 races. Lewis Hamilton ended the year with four wins, Jenson Button with three.

2013 prospects: Lewis Hamilton’s defection to Mercedes AMG doesn’t help. McLaren will likely start the year with a good car, but the new driver pairing will take time to settle. Button will need to work on qualifying, while newcomer Sergio Pérez has Lewis Hamilton’s big shoes to fill.

Lotus F1 Team 2012 performance: Lotus came close to several wins, but finally made it count in Abu Dhabi. Kimi Räikkönen earned points at every round, except China. Romain Grosjean showed speed, but inexperience – earning a one-race ban for causing a multi-car accident in Belgium.

2013 prospects: Lotus knows how to win races. It was the Renault F1 team that took Fernando Alonso to world titles in 2005 and 2006. Räikkönen is focused on victory. Grosjean must deliver blinding speed and polished performances to ensure a long career.

Marussia F1 Team 2012 performance: Marussia made the most progress through 2012, despite not running KERS. The team almost bagged the 10th position in the constructors’ championship, but Vitaly Petrov’s move on Charles Pic for 11th place in Brazil scuppered those plans.

2013 prospects: Marussia has gone with the KERS for 2013. Ex-Renault engineer Pat Symonds rejoins the team after his five-year ban. Brazilian Luiz Razia and Britisher Max Chilton will both make their F1 race debuts. Can the team overtake Caterham in 2013?

Sahara Force India F1 Team 2012 performace: Sahara Force India equalled its best constructors’ championship result with seventh place, finishing just 17 points shy of Sauber in sixth. Ambitious young guns Paul di Resta and Nico Hülkenberg pushed each other all season long, taking the VJM05 well beyond its limits. However, too many non-point finishes meant wasted potential.

2013 prospects: Paul di Resta gets his chance to lead Sahara Force India, while Hülkenberg’s replacement has yet to be announced. The VJM06 should be a capable and reliable mid-fielder, with Mercedes power and a McLaren gearbox and hydraulics. The squad has only taken one podium in its history (Belgium 2009). Can it finally return to the rostrum in 2013?

Sauber F1 Team 2012 performance: Sauber’s C31 was impressive. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh labelled Sergio Pérez’s podiums in Malaysia, Canada and Italy as forming part of “a string of giant-killing performances”. However, his teammate Kamui Kobayashi was only six points shy of his overall tally. Ten retirements in total though, meant several lost opportunities.

2013 prospects: Two new drivers feature at Sauber. In comes Nico Hülkenberg from Sahara Force India, in what many regard as a strange sideways step. Joining him is rookie Esteban Gutiérrez, who has been the Swiss squad’s reserve and test driver since 2011. Expect Hülkenberg to take the C32 to its limits, while Gutiérrez gets to grips with his F1 race debut.

Caterham F1 2012 performance: Caterham, newly rebranded after a lengthy legal battle with Group Lotus, fell back a step in 2012. The squad was out-raced by Marussia, though neither team scored any points. Only Vitaly Petrov’s 11th place finish at the final round in Brazil saved Caterham from being demoted to 11th place in the constructors’ championship.

2013 prospects: Caterham needs to take a big step forward with the new CT02 but will have a challenge in staying ahead of Marussia, who will have KERS for the first time. New team principal and ex-Renault man Cyril Abiteboul will ensure quality management, though. Former reserve driver Giedo van der Garde has been promoted, and Charles Pic joins the team from Marussia.

Williams F1 Team 2012 performance: Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado took his maiden victory in Spain, ending the team’s 130-race winless drought that extended back to Brazil 2004. Unfortunately, Maldonado then went nine races without scoring a single point. His Brazilian teammate Bruno Senna was underwhelming, with his best result a sixth in Malaysia.

2013 prospects: Though Chief Operations Engineer Mark Gillan left Williams last year, Mike Coughlan and Jason Somerville continue to lead the team technically, which means the new car should be okay. Keep an eye on the intra-team battle between Maldonado and Finnish rookie Valtteri Bottas – the young driver is the hottest prospect in the F1 paddock.

Scuderia Toro Rosso 2012 performance: Toro Rosso went backwards in 2012, falling to ninth in the constructors’ championship from eighth the year before. Of course, a new driver pairing of Australian Daniel Ricciardo and French rookie Jean-Éric Vergne needed time, but the team didn’t look in good shape with technical director Giorgio Ascanelli’s exit in September last year.

2013 prospects: Toro Rosso’s future prospects have improved with the arrival of ex-Sauber and Force India technical director James Key. Ricciardo comprehensively out-qualified Vergne in 2012, but must out-race him in 2013 to keep his Red Bull dreams alive. Regardless of the STR8’s strength, this is one fierce intra-team battle set to continue this season.